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No. 19 BYU takes care of Houston, but misses out on chance to play for Big 12 championship

With about 10 minutes left in the second quarter of a below-freezing game between No. 19 BYU and Houston at LaVell Edwards Stadium, news broke that put a damper on the night of bundled-up BYU fans.

No. 18 Iowa State had just beaten No. 24 Kansas State, officially eliminating BYU's chances of playing in the Big 12 championship later this week.

Even though BYU beat Houston 30-18, the navy blue Cougars left the game thinking "What could have been?"

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Photo by Tyler Ashby

By no means was BYU's victory over Houston Saturday night without its fair share of flaws. At times, BYU showed glimpses of the team that was once 9-0 and ranked No. 6 in the nation. At other times, red zone fumbles, muffed punts and botched trick plays put the Cougars in their place.

In the first half, BYU was a balanced football team, getting the better of Houston's defense through an even pass/run attack. BYU ran for 125 yards (100 more than they had in the first half last week against Arizona State) and 110 passing yards. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff made Houston pay with his legs, rushing for 40 yards and a touchdown in the first half. He ended the night with two touchdowns.

BYU even got its fourth special teams touchdown of the year too. This time it was a rare onside kick returned for a touchdown by Talan Alfrey.

Alfrey was the victim of a surprise onside/squib kick that he couldn’t avoid in time last week in Tempe. The ball ricocheted off of the junior defensive back and right into the hands of the Sun Devils. This week, he corralled the slow, rolling ball and immediately turned on the boosters. He went untouched into the endzone to tie the game at 7-7 in the first quarter.

But there were still some costly turnovers throughout the game for BYU, like when wide receiver Keelan Marion and running back LJ Martin ran into each other on a trick play and fumbled the ball. Or when Retzlaff dropped the snap at the Houston 5-yard line, leaving crucial points on the board. Wide receiver Parker Kingston even muffed a punt that landed in Houston's arms.

Three black marks on what was otherwise a solid performance by BYU.

After a 13-yard touchdown rush by Retzlaff right before halftime, BYU headed to the locker room up 21-10. That's when the team found out the score of the Iowa State game.

"I found out at halftime," BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said, "but you just gotta keep playing."

Sitake said it may have shaken the team’s focus a little, but clearly not enough to lose its Senior Night game.

BYU’s defense especially didn’t let this news affect it. BYU's play was a perfect illustration of what Jay Hill’s crew has done all season, holding its opponent to under 20 points for the seventh time this season.

After a quick three-down drive that featured three incompletions by Retzlaff, BYU punted the ball to Houston with a chance to tie and take the lead in the fourth. In a potentially game-deciding 4th-and-7 with less than six minutes left in the game, Jack Kelly got to Houston quarterback Zeon Chriss and forced a fumble that was eventually recovered by Jon Nelson to give BYU the ball in Houston territory.

Retzlaff capitalized on the great field position and scored on a 7-yard touchdown rush to put the game out of reach.

Photo by BYU Photo

The strip sack by Kelly was his second forced turnover of the day. On the first drive of the second half, Kelly snagged his first interception in his BYU career. His dominating performance capped off a great regular season for the Weber State transfer, as he was a key piece for one of the best defenses in the Big 12.

"He's a beast," Alfrey said talking about Kelly's incredible showing on Saturday. "He's got the right speed, the right dog mentality, he's a smart player and he's gonna play for a long time on Sundays."

In total, BYU’s defense forced four turnovers (two fumbles and two interceptions). The Cougars' 20 interceptions is tied for the most in the country.

While it was closer than comfort for BYU (Houston had a real chance to win halfway through the fourth), it comes away with its 10th win of the season. It’s the program's 19th 10-win season in school history.

"Even though we are sitting here at 10-2, my mind just goes back to ‘what could have been,’" Sitake said.

It is always tough when you miss out on something as big as a conference championship or the College Football Playoffs, but let’s take a look at where the BYU Cougars were at before the season: BYU was only projected to win four games after winning a measly five in their first year in the Big 12. Retzlaff was not the predestined starter, as he had to beat out USF transfer Gerry Bohanon for the coveted starting spot. The Cougars ended the previous season on a five-game losing streak.

BYU increased last season's win total by five, had legitimate chances to make the playoffs and will likely play in their highest pedigree bowl game in years in the Alamo Bowl or the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

Take all of that into account, and you quickly realize just how successful the Cougars have been in 2024.